Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12 inaugurated the 118 km-long ten-lane expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru and laid the foundation stone for four-lane highway between Mysuru and Kushalnagar
Mr. Modi landed in Mysuru airport before boarding a helicopter to Mandya, where he was received by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Mr. Modi held a roadshow in Mandya, waving at a large number of enthusiastic crowd who had lined up on both sides of the route.
After the road show, he inaugurated the Expressway — which reduces the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from three hours to about 75 minutes — with a symbolic walk on a stretch of the newly built road at Hanakere, where a cultural programme by various folk troupes was staged.
The access-controlled Expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru built at a cost of ₹ 8,480 crore encompasses a portion of National Highway 275 comprising four rail overbridges, nine significant bridges, 40 minor bridges and 89 underpasses and overpasses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders during the 118 km-long Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway inauguration in Karnataka on March 12, 2023. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash
PM bats for ‘double engine’ government in Karnataka
Later, speaking at a public function at Gejjalagere in Mandya district, Mr. Modi emphasised the need for a ‘double engine’ government in Karnataka if the State were to make rapid progress.
Mr. Modi said infrastructure projects like highways will not only provide facilities for transport and connectivity, but also attract investment, generate employment and create sources of income.
During the last few years, more than ₹1 lakh crore had been spent on infrastructure projects like construction of highways in Karnataka, he said.
The access-controlled highway between Bengaluru and Mysuru will more than halve the travel time between the two cities and bring about economic development in the region, Mr. Modi said while adding that the Mysuru-Kushalnagar Highway will also improve connectivity and promote industrial development.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and other developmental projects, in Mandya district, on March 12, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
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Mr. Modi said Karnataka was leading the country in attracting foreign investment and claimed that the ₹4 lakh investment the State had drawn after COVID-19 pandemic was on account of the efforts of the ‘double engine’ government.
Apart from Information Technology (IT), Karnataka was making rapid strides in the fields of biotechnology, defence and manufacturing. While attracting a lot of investment in the areas of defence, aerospace and space sector, Karnataka was achieving progress in the field of electric vehicle manufacturing, the Prime Minister said.
He also took a dig at the Congress party and said its leaders were busy “digging Modi’s grave” at a time when the ‘double-engine’ government was working for the welfare of the people. “While Modi was building the expressway and making the lives of the poor easy, the Congress was busy digging Modi’s grave,” he remarked.
Earlier, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari welcomed the gathering and said the 118 km Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway comprised of 52 km of greenfield highway and 8 km of elevated road.
A total of ₹4,000 crore had been given as compensation to the farmers for land acquisition.
Also, he said that there were only 24 underpasses in the original plans, but due to demands from local representatives and MPs, the total number of underpasses went up to 89.
He said the expressway, which was part of National Highway 275, would be connecting to National Highways in neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
